The
Garden of Gethsemani and Mount of OlivesAnd
when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives..And they
went to a place which was
called Gethsem'ane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I pray."
- Mark 14:26,32

The Garden of
Gethsemani

The
Garden
of Gethsemani,
located on the lower slope of the Mount of Olives, is
the place where Jesus went with his disciples to pray after the last supper
and where he was betrayed by Judas and arrested.

"My
soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch."

quote
from Mark 14:34 - painting by James Tissot

Remains
of Crusader pillars on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Dome of the
Rock on the Temple mount

The Mount of Olives

The Mount of Olives overlooks
the Temple Mount and the city of Jerusalem. The Kidron Valley divides
these two mounts. This mount was named for its numerous olive groves.
In biblical times, gardens were not allowed in Jerusalem proper. So many
wealthy people had private gardens planted on the slope which overlooked
Jerusalem. This mount is famous for several sites. Jesus frequently
went here with his disciples to pray and rest. His triumphant entry
into Jerusalem was from this mount. His ascension into heaven was
from the top of this mount.

The Jews believe that the
Messiah will arrive in Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Along
the slope of this mount is the oldest continually used cemetery in the
world. Graves date back as far as four thousand years. Tradition holds
that the people buried here will be the first to rise when the Messiah
comes. Many believe that this is the area prophesied by Joel as the
"Vale of Jehosophat" and place of final judgment (Joel 3:2).